Ah, the pleasures of old-time Florida

By CHRIS SHERMAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 15, 2001

Fear not the fryer at Thirsty Marlin Grill & Bar, part of the wonderful revival of Palm Harbor.

PALM HARBOR -- If you came to Florida to sneer at fried seafood, this is the wrong corner of the groves.

Of course, Thirsty Marlin also broils, blackens, grills, cooks salmon on a cedar plank and may even have a little fruit salsa around. Heck, the barely two-month-old Marlin makes shrimp scampi, Greek salads, wrap sandwiches and quesadillas too.

Yet the real pleasure here is retro-fitting downtown Palm Harbor with the pleasures of old-time Florida, like batter-fried shrimp. And cold beer, windows that open to the breeze, big ol' oak trees to laze under and, why not, a few Parrothead tunes. Nothing to get dressed up for, which is precisely the point.

Besides, if you keep insisting that you don't like fried food, we won't let you have any fried cheesecake (more on that later). Honest, this place has a darn good fryer, and you should put it to good use.

[Times photo: Jill Sagers] The Thirsty Marlin Grill & Bar in Palm Harbor serves up this Curacao Cedar Plank Salmon.

The bigger treat is the fresh vitality of downtown, the latest in the continuing revival of small towns in North Pinellas. It's always been a pleasure to discover that this chunk of Sunbelt suburbia has a heart, a laid-back Old Florida heart of broad streets, sandy paths and even a "hill" with a view of the water.

This is the shady side of Florida, thanks to more oaks than palms. Pull off Alt. U.S. 19 and you find the usual quiet Main Street community of antique shops, plant folks and crafters, and, increasingly, places to eat and drink. While the rest of Tampa Bay built massive pleasure domes, Palm Harbor has a put-your-feet-up hangout. No movies, no neon, but just try to find a parking place on weekends.

The choices range from Demen's Den for beer, burgers and wet burritos and El Jalapeno's Otra Vez, formerly of Tarpon Springs, to the upscale Floribbean frills of Sutherland Cafe. What pumped up spirits this year was the opening of Thirsty Marlin in a low wood frame building that had housed Annie's Kitchen.

As the Marlin, the place is bright white but still has wood floors, odd tables and chairs, and all manner of old tools and artifacts on the walls.

Masterminding the change was Michael Flowers, who founded Molly Goodhead's in Ozona 15 years ago (he sold the place in 1996) and still has the same laid-back sense of good times.

Certainly he appreciates frying. It is an underrated art: Combine good ingredients with batter and hot oil, and there are few better ways to cook a food fast and fresh. With the right batter, fresh oil and the right cook, it doesn't have to be greasy.

Marlin's fryer did especially well with oysters, freshly shucked, lightly floured, fried and returned to the half shell poppin' fresh. Likewise, clam strips dipped in a heavier batter were addictive little delights.

Buffalo fried shrimp were more lightly done, but the hot sauce made them too soggy. Conch, which is turning up more often on our coastline, gets pounded and fried here for appetizers and sandwiches but is still mighty chewy. I liked it better unfried in chowder.

Among fin fish, the best was mahi mahi, which I had blackened and found done with the right touch, crisp on the outside but still moist inside. Not so tuna, overcooked to a solid and very dry gray. Serving it with the wasabi of sushi bars made no sense; this called for French's gravy.

There was no fresh grouper for sandwiches or entrees, only grouper cheeks, which were frozen but cooked up fine.

In place of fresh grouper fillets, Marlin offered "whitefish," which turned out to be Lake Victoria perch. Also known as African snook, this relatively new import as I've cooked it at home is a mild, good-eating fish.

Still, African perch, salmon and catfish don't give a menu much of a Florida flavor. I can get by without grouper, but I'd like to try more mullet, amberjack, mackerel, tilefish, porgy and pompano. It's up to restaurateurs, diners and fisherfolks to diversify, and the Marlin should help land part of that catch.

The Marlin does make a good effort on sides. While French fries are only fair, black beans and yellow rice are spicy and healthful, sweet potatoes get quite dolled up, white potatoes make a decent potato salad. You'll forget them all for the island corn bread, punched up with an aromatic ration of rum. Yo ho ho.

But you still want that fried cheesecake, and somebody at the table should try it. Garnish of Oreo crumbles, whipped cream and cherries is a bit much, but the main event, a cheesecake wrapped in flaky pastry, is meltingly good.

You'll be glad someone kept the fryer -- and an old downtown -- going. The easy-going pub life is as endangered as some species of fish.

Thirsty Marlin Grill & Bar

• 1023 Florida Ave., Palm Harbor, (727) 784-3469 Hours: 11:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Saturday
• Reservations: No
• Credit cards: AE, V, MC, D, DC
• Details: Non-smoking section available, full bar, good wheelchair access
• Prices: $4.95 to $14.95
• Special features: Outdoor seating, catering, live music on weekends

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